The association between fluoride in water and blood pressure in children and adolescents.

BACKGROUND

The objective of this study was to determine the association between water and plasma fluoride and blood pressure (BP) among children and adolescents.

METHODS

Our study population was individuals of 8-18 years in the 2013-2016 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. We performed a multivariable linear and logistic regression analysis to examine the relationship between fluoride and BP.

RESULTS

In a linear regression analysis for systolic BP (SBP) (mm Hg) adjusting for age, sex, race, and poverty, fluoride in water (mg/L) was significant with a coefficient of -0.44 (p = 0.046) among adolescents (12-18 years). Additional adjustments for race, poverty, serum levels of cotinine, and BMI remained significant. While an inverse relationship was found in children (8-11 years), none were significant. Fluoride in plasma was not significant across all ages. The odds ratio of high BP for an increase in water fluoride also was not significant.

CONCLUSIONS

Higher concentrations of fluoride in water were associated with low SBP only among adolescents. Fluoride alone cannot be responsible for BP as several biological metabolic processes may influence its physiological effects. Fluoride consumption should be considered in conjunction with these processes.

IMPACT

The high fluoride in drinking water was statistically significantly associated with low systolic BP in children and adolescents. The odds ratio of high BP for an increase in fluoride in drinking water was not significant. Our study contributes to the existing literature by providing individualized data and results on an individual level.